Self-Defense Advice

[Guest Tracy]

As a spin-off from the "ladies beware" thread...I thought I'd share some info that was in an email recently sent to me which sounded like pretty solid advice:

THROUGH AN ATTACKER’S EYES:

(Please take time to re-read this at least once a month to keep this advice fresh in your mind)

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed by a self-defense instructor on what they look for in a potential victim and below are some interesting facts and self-defense advice as shared by an attendee:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair, while women with short hair are not common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.

4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. The number two place is office parking lots/garages. Number three is public restrooms.

6) These men are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands. Keys are NOT a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon.

10) Several defense mechanisms taught include: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask a question, such as ‘What time is it?’ or make general small talk, ‘I can't believe it is so cold out here.’ or ‘We're in for a bad winter.’ Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up which means you lose appeal as a target.

11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP! or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it), yell ‘I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY’ and hold it out, it will be a deterrent.

13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY, VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands causing the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts!

14) After the initial hit, always GO FOR THE GROIN. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he's out of there.

15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!

You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

OTHER ADVICE:

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans: If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (looking at their checkbook, making a list, etc.) DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go.

AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE!

5. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead, speed into anything to wreck the car. Your air bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

6. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:

A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor and in the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a bigger vehicle/van, then enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their big vehicles while the woman is attempting to get into their car.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

7. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at nigh!)

8. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!

9. Women tend to be sympathetic: STOP THAT! It may get you raped or killed. Serial killer, Ted Bundy, was an attractive, educated man who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, and that is when he abducted his victim.

10. A final safety point: Someone told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her, 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear a baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby --- This should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on an episode of America's Most Wanted a serial killer in Louisiana was profiled.

PLEASE TAKE ALL NECESSARY MEASURES TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HARM!

[canadienmike]

http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/rape.asp

While some of the advise sounds good, not all of this is correct (especially the part of rapists choosing victims based on hair length). The last part (number 10 about the crying baby) is also a myth that you can find on snopes.

[Guest Tracy]

The statistic on how hair length matters to an attacker may be debatable, but women should still be aware of the possibilities associated with hair length/hair style.

And though the "crying baby" scenario might not have actually happened (yet!), someone could decide to try it out so it's still wise to consider the possibility and practice caution when suspicious incidences occur.

Always better to be aware & safe!

[PackinMama]

Good advice Tracy!